Montclair State Teams with U.S. Department of State in Groundbreaking Initiative

Members of the class, U.S. in the World: Turkey, Europe, and the Middle East, join their counterparts in Turkey in participating in a video teleconference.

This semester, Montclair State
University is offering the first-ever collaborative course based around a
partnership with the U.S. Department of State Office of eDiplomacy’s Virtual
Student Foreign Service (VSFS). An initiative launched in 2010 by
then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the VSFS is part of a growing effort
by the State Department to harness technology and a commitment to global
service among young people to facilitate new forms of diplomatic engagement.

The Montclair State course, U.S. in
the World: Turkey, Europe, and the Middle East, is taught by Professor Zsolt
Nyiri of the Department of Political Science and Law. It features a
groundbreaking collaborative relationship with a class of Turkish students
taught by Professor Nida Shoughry of Bilkent University, the first private,
non-profit university in Turkey.

Throughout the semester, students
at both universities participate in and complete a series of joint lectures,
discussions, and assignments conducted simultaneously and completed
collaboratively through the use of technologies such as Skype, video
teleconferencing, email, and Google Docs. A class Facebook group also has been
set up to facilitate and encourage communication between the U.S. and Turkish
students outside of the classroom.

“Montclair State University is
honored to be part of this exciting collaboration that connects students who
are, in many ways, worlds apart, to study together global governance and world
politics, and the roles played by the U.S. and Turkey and the challenges these
countries face,” says Nyiri, an international polling expert. “We’re paying
special attention to the processes – like public opinion polls, innovative
information and communication technologies, and social media – through which
ordinary citizens can shape politics.”

High-level American and Turkish
guest lecturers, such as Ambassador Marc Grossman—who has served as United
States Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Ambassador to Turkey, Assistant
Secretary of State for European Affairs, and Under Secretary of State for
Political Affairs—have spoken to the U.S. and Turkish students via video
teleconferences during the course of the semester. Montclair State and
Bilkent University students are also required to collaborate on two joint
projects, a Data Visualization Exercise and an Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Exercise.

According to Nyiri, Turkey’s
emergence as a regional and global player in foreign affairs helped to make a
Turkish university such as Bilkent an ideal partner. “The future of its
evolving relationship with the United States will be determined, in part, by
the success of programs like this collaborative course that promote direct
communication and mutual understanding between the two nations.”

The planning of the semester-long
course began last summer when the State Department’s Office of eDiplomacy
approached Montclair State with a proposal that, as part of a class on foreign
policy and innovative technology, one Montclair State University student would
be given the opportunity to participate in an e-internship position with the
U.S. State Department VSFS program. The student would be able to contribute in
the work of the State Department around the world by working remotely on
projects.

Montclair State’s enthusiasm helped to make it
an ideal candidate for such a program. “The Department of State chose Montclair
State from a short list of twelve universities to initiate this ground-breaking
project,” Nyiri explained. “We were an ideal fit because of our size, faculty
expertise, and the scope and diversity of our students.”